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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Tu B'Shvat: Spirituality from a tree
By Judy Gruen
What most didn't learn in Hebrew school
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Tu B'Shvat (the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, which is today) is known as the "birthday of the trees" to Jewish children around the world. It has become a little bit like Jewish Earth Day, with tree-planting as the main event.
Compared with other Jewish holidays, many of which commemorate freedom from oppression or a covenantal pact between the Jewish people and the Creator, Tu B'Shvat may seem a little, well, light.
But, in fact, Tu B'Shvat has a meaning deeper than the seeds that we may plant on that day. Looking inside the Torah, we find that there is a profound linkage between man and trees. Right in the beginning, in the first chapter of Genesis, we learn of the interconnectedness of man and nature:
"Now all the trees of the field were not yet on the earth and all the herb of the field had not yet sprouted, for G-d had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to work the soil. A mist ascended from the earth and watered the whole surface of the soil. And G-d formed the man of dust from the ground..." (Genesis 2: 5,6).
While G-d endowed human beings with primacy over nature, this passage shows there is a clear duality to the relationship. Rashi, perhaps the most famous of the Torah's commentators, notes that the first man, Adam, immediately recognized his spiritual responsibility to pray for rain, which was needed for trees and vegetation to spring forth. And, just as vegetation could not sprout without water, so, too, G-d seemed to water the earth from which Adam would emerge.
Still, man's dominion over the entire plant and animal world didn't mean that humankind was allowed to take this magnificent creation for granted. In the book of Deuteronomy, man and trees are compared again, this time in a very different context:
"When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to seize it, do not destroy its trees by swinging an ax against them, for from it you will eat, and you shall not cut it down; is the tree of the field a man that it should enter the siege before you?" (Deuteronomy 20:19)
Even in the midst of war, Jewish values come into play, prohibiting the senseless destruction of fruit-bearing trees. "A tree is not a soldier," Rashi noted. "Why should Jews feel the need to deprive anyone of the trees' fruit?" The Maharal of Prague adds a deeper meaning to the comparison. Just as trees must grow branches, twigs, flowers and fruit to fulfill their purpose, he explained, so too man was put on earth to be productive and labor to produce moral, intellectual, and spiritual truth. This is why the sages refer to the reward for good deeds as "fruit," because they are the true product of human growth.
Tu B'Shvat also celebrates the bond between the land of Israel and its people, although notably, the classical commentators never wrote that tree-planting was necessary on the holiday. Planting trees was, however, mandatory when making a physical connection to the land of Israel. A Midrash (Vayikrah Rabbah 25) states: "From the beginning of the creation of the world (G-d, so to speak) busied Himself with nothing but planting, as it says, 'And He planted a garden of Eden.' So too you when you enter the land, don't busy yourself with anything but planting at first."
When the modern state of Israel was established, Jews began to follow this advice with a passion. Only since Israel's independence has existed has Tu B'Shvat become synonymous with planting. It's possible that the consistent forestation of Israel, emphasized each year on Tu B'Shvat and year-round, has kept more of the land in Jewish hands during times of war. Consider: Areas surrounding Jerusalem and in the Galilee might have been settled by Arabs if they had been less heavily wooded. In this sense, the tremendous effort in tree planting throughout Israel may have done as much to "root" ourselves in the land as have the efforts of Zionist organizations.
In celebration of our connection, it is customary on Tu B'Shvat to eat fruit that grows in Israel, specifically, olives, dates, grapes, figs and pomegranates. It is also customary to eat a new fruit, which one hasn't eaten yet this year, in order to make the special shechechiyanu blessing on it.
Several hundred years ago, the great Kabbalists who lived in Tzefas (Safed) wrote a Tu B'Shvat haggadah, which is commonly used in Israel today for a "Tu B'Shvat seder," complete with four cups of wine, the fruits and grain products of Israel, and blessings over each fruit. The first cup of wine is white, symbolizing winter; red wine is added to subsequent cups of wine, symbolizing the inevitable arrival of spring and the renewal it brings in nature. These Tu B'Shvat "seders" are a cross-denominational phenomenon, with both secular and religious schools participating in them.
The great Maharal of Prague said that a man is like a tree of the field because just as the ground is all potential, so too is man is all potential. That's why the first man was named Adam, which is rooted in the word which means "earth" in Hebrew, adahma. Man's potential is actualized through his personal, intellectual, and spiritual growth. Paraphrasing the Maharal, the only difference between man and the trees is that the roots of the tree are in the ground, while the roots of the man are in the heavens.
Tu B'Shvat is a day when we remember the budding growth lying dormant in the winter earth, and celebrate spring's incipient arrival. We celebrate the Land of Israel, which the Torah has praised as "a land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey" (Deutoronomy 8). We, who are compared to trees of the field, therefore rejoice on Tu B'Shvat, the day where the land of Israel renews its strength to give forth its riches. And may we grow like the trees, strong, rooted, reaching towards higher spiritual and intellectual growth.
growth.
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JWR contributor Judy Gruen is the author, most recently, of "The Women's Daily Irony Supplement". Her work has appeared Los Angeles Times,
Chicago Tribune, Washington Times and many other publications.
© 2009, Judy Gruen
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